How to ace Parking 101

As it should be, doing well in class tops the priority list for Shoreline Community College students, but running a close second for many students is parking.

“The college works hard to find ways to make it easier for students to get to campus and class, but there are times when things get pretty tight,” said Mary Kelemen, Executive Director for Auxiliary and Logistical Services. “Between 8:30 and 11:30 in the morning, especially during fall quarter, on-campus parking is at a premium.”

Besides the main lots, the college also has parking in what is known as the “Greenwood lot,” a large graveled lot on the northeast side of campus and accessed by sets of stairs to the east campus roadway. The college also maintains off-campus parking known as the “Sears lot” just west of Sears at the nearby Aurora Square shopping center and connected to campus by shuttle-van service. While no permit is required for using the parking and shuttle service for the Sears lot, it is subsidized by a student-approved fee paid by all students.

Students have a number of parking options, including:

Paid parking

Quarterly pass: For $45 plus tax, students can get a pass that is good for parking in student-designated lots on campus and in the Greenwood lot. Quarterly student parking passes are available at Cashiering in FOSS (5000 Building) and the Bookstore in the PUB (9000 Building). Quarterly passes are transferable from vehicle to vehicle.

Daily Pass: Available at six pay stations near all main campus lots except Greenwood, weekday passes are $3 for two hours; $5 for four hours and $7.50 for all day/evening. On weekends, daily passes are $3 a day. The pay stations accept credit cards, debit cards and quarters – no bills.

Free parking

The Sears lot, besides not requiring a parking pass, is especially convenient during busy times of the day on the main campus. From 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Thursday and 8 a.m.-2 p.m. on Fridays, a free shuttle service brings students from the Sears lot to campus.

Visitor-lot parking is just for visitors and free for 30 minutes. After that, a daily pass must be purchased at one of the pay stations. Parking in the visitor lot is strictly enforced and even vehicles that display a permit of any kind will be cited.

Disabled parking is free with a valid Washington state disabled placard displayed. There is designated disabled parking, but vehicles with a valid disabled placard displayed are allowed to park in any lot.

Carpool parking is free with a quarterly carpool pass and available only in the Greenwood lot. A minimum of two students must apply together and must arrive together to use a carpool pass. Ten carpool passes are available each quarter on a first-come, first-served basis at the Safety and Security Department, Room 5102. Bring valid identification and course schedules when applying.

Bicycle parking is free and bikes should be parked in bicycle racks or other facilities provided for that purpose.

Motorcycle parking is also free, as long as it is in a designated motorcycle parking areas.

The rules

Parking and traffic citations range from $45-$120, depending on the offense

A lost pass may be replaced at a charge equal to the original cost. If the original permit is found within the same quarter, a refund equal to the cost of the second permit is available.

Main campus parking lots are officially open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, with exceptions for late night events. The Greenwood lot gate closes at 10 p.m. Monday-Friday and is closed all weekend. Overnight parking may be arranged only with permission from the Director of Security.

The college has the authority to impound or wheel-lock vehicles that violate parking regulations.

The speed limit on campus is 15 mph.

Minor accidents may be reported to the college safety and security department. Call 911 for more serious incidents.

Park appropriately and only in designated parking areas.

Do not park in neighborhoods adjacent to the campus.

Did the price of quarterly parking passes go up?

Yes, and the answer why is a little complicated.

Some fees are set by the college administration and some are set by student government. The college sets the parking-pass rates. In addition, students voted in 2009 to assess themselves $34 a quarter for the Sustainable Commuter Options Fee, or SCOF. The money was to provide multiple benefits such as a discount on Metro/Sound Transit bus pass (ORCA), subsidized parking passes, add more bike racks and fund future parking improvements.

In the spring of 2014, student government representatives decided to change the mix of things supported by SCOF funding, cutting out subsidies for parking passes and directing more money toward the ORCA pass program. ORCA passes are purchased from Metro Transit and then resold to students at a lower, subsidized rate. Each quarter, about 600 ORCA passes were made available and generally sold out in a matter of a day or two. The increased SCOF funding will boost the number of passes available to about 650. At the same time, Metro has increased the cost of ORCA passes.

Parking-pass fees fund critical safety and security operations, so college administrators made the difficult-but-necessary decision to increase parking-pass rates to maintain required safety and security service levels.